TRIP GENERATION RATE UPDATE FOR PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS

North Carolina's public high school trip generation rates are important in travel demand models as they represent major trip attractors in urbanized areas. Researchers in North Carolina attempted to determine if trip generation rates for high schools in urban North Carolina are different from those in the Institute of Transportation Engineers' (ITE) database, and if independent variables have a significant relationship with trip generation rates at these high schools. Findings from this study suggest that trip generation rates for high schools in urbanized counties of North Carolina are higher, which is attributed primarily to the apparent rise in the socioeconomic status of the average household. Total number of employees appears to be the best predictor of trip attractions at high schools for weekday periods, while centerline length of streets within a 1.6 km (1 mi) radius of the school is the best overall predictor for traffic during weekends. Three different types of high schools emerged from the study--traditional, community, and magnet--which had an impact on trip generation rates.